For breakfast, a delicious ovum with a pinch of Maris Sal. And for a refreshing start to the day, a large glass of juice made from the juice of citrus aurantium dulcis. What could sound delicious and inviting sounds more like Double Dutch. The same applies to the INCI names for cosmetic products. To understand them, you need to know the correct translation.

To make one thing clear first: Even if you don't know the list of ingredients on a face cream, shampoo or sun lotion, you can be sure that the products are safe and safe to use. The EU Cosmetics Regulation ((EC) No. 1223/2009) regulates which ingredients may not be used in a cosmetic product or for which substances there are restrictions on use in the form of areas of application. Consumer safety is a top priority. 

Nevertheless, we would like to shed some light on all the foreign names that can be found on every cosmetic product on store shelves around the world. The use of INCI names is an international agreement for the precise labelling of ingredients in cosmetic products. 

Combinations of UV filters are used 

A sun protection product basically consists of a mixture of several UV filters. It is not unusual for up to 6 different UV filters to be used. This is done in order to achieve the right performance for SPF, and UVA protection. The absorption capacities of the UV filters vary in the different wavelengths. Combinations are now used to obtain the best possible protection.  

It should also be noted that most UV filters are lipophilic, which means that they are mixed with the oil in the product. A sunscreen formulation usually consists of both phases, water and oil (which is what creates an emulsion). It is then advantageous to use filters in each of the water and oil phases.  

Unfortunately, some filters or filter combinations are photo-unstable. If this is the case, they break down under sunlight and other molecules or free radicals are formed. Free radicals react very quickly with other molecules and can do the same with areas of the skin. As a result, skin reactions may occur. Of course, this is undesirable and must be avoided. The use of photostable UV filters, which remain stable when exposed to sunlight, is therefore of particular interest. 

In a nutshell: Looking at all aspects, it is clear that a good and wise selection of different UV filters is needed to achieve the appropriate and desired results. In addition to the sun protection factor and photostability, this also includes the trend of formulating and manufacturing sun protection in accordance with environmental sustainability.

Infobox: So that you can immediately see which products contain our selected UV filters, we decipher them and assign clear names for you.

Back to INCI

Not all substances on an INCI list appear to be unknown to the end user. There are also many ingredients in cosmetic products, which we all know from everyday life, some of which we consume on a regular basis. Would you like to see the list? Here it is: